On January 11, 2019, Marion Irene VanDinter, 74, earned her angel wings as she passed away peacefully surrounded by her loved ones. Marion was born on August 21, 1944 in Walla Walla, WA and resided in the Tri-City area for over 50 years. Marion was a devoted wife and mother, raising 9 children along side the love of her life, Dutch, for whom she was married to for over 40 years before his passing. Her love for children did not stop with her own children as she ran a daycare for numerous years welcoming other children with open arms and just as much love as if they were her own and had numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren to spoil rotten throughout the years. Although her love for children was tremendous, Marion also enjoyed numerous other hobbies as well. Every Friday, you could be sure that Marion would leave her husband at home for a few hours to enjoy some girl time with her best friends, Marge and Edna, by enjoying lunch and some much-needed retail therapy. Most of the time, she came home with more material for a sewing project or towels to crochet and give out as presents for various occasions. Although she always enjoyed her Friday afternoon outings with her friends, Marion also loved to cook and bake. Nearly every night, you could catch her whipping up a hearty and delicious meal for her husband and whoever happened to be there when the dinner bell rang, and if you were lucky, she had baked a yummy desert to follow. Marion also took pride in gardening and always made it a point to maintain her flower beds and her fruit and vegetable gardens. Most would agree that Marion had a green thumb, almost to the point of being able to make a dead stick flourish into a beautiful flowering tree. She always had multiple types of gardens going on at once; fruits of all sorts, almost all her favorite vegetables, and of course, her rose bushes with Mr. Lincoln being her absolute favorite. If she wasn't inside taking care of children or cooking a feast, you would be able to find her outside working on her gardens. Throughout her life, Marion celebrated several achievements. In 1998, Marion was baptized with her husband, becoming born-again Christians. The word of God and following in His name became a huge part of her life up until her very last day. After the passing of her husband, Marion took a trip of a lifetime to Hawaii with her bother-in-law and his wife, where she got to experience seeing the beauty of the islands like she had always dreamed of doing. Marion also had a brand new house built, and bought her very first brand new car in the more recent years of her life; both of which she was extremely proud to be able to. However, anyone who knew Marion would agree that her greatest achievement in life was simply being herself. A kind, gentle, and loving person that never knew a stranger. She could walk into a store and by the time she walked out, she knew the life story of at least one person. She could never pass up making silly faces at babies, or saying hello to little children who encountered her, only proving how wonderful of a person she really was. Her heart was made of pure gold and she always went out of her way to make sure that everyone was happy. Marion was quite literary superwoman, as she took on being a therapist when needed, a nurse to fix cuts and bruises regardless how old someone was, and someone who always brought peace amid the most chaotic moments in any given person's life. Marion was the best wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend that anyone could have. Her smile, laugh, bear hugs, and the warmth she radiated when she walked into a room will be greatly missed by everyone. We all love you so much and miss you dearly, don't have too much fun up there without us! Marion is preceded in death by her parents, her sister, her brother, Merlin, the love of her life, Dutch, and 2 sons, Brian and Mike. She is survived by her sister, Charlotte, her children Cary, Shawn (Tami), Briana, Ron (Sherry), Sharon, Diane, and Janice (Ken), as well as 24 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren, who all loved her very much. A memorial service will be held at Calvary Chapel in Kennewick, WA on February 23, 2019 at 2 PM.